England trio of Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho, and Bukayo Saka was on the receiving end of racist abuse following Euro 2020 final loss. Rashford has issued a response, while Harry Kane has given his backing to his teammates.
Rashford addressed the public for the first time following England’s loss against Italy in the Euro final through his social media. The Manchester United star received abuse and had his mural defaced following the Three Lions’ shootout loss, while some took the opportunity to mock him for his civic efforts. Rashford responded to the criticism defiantly and shared messages of support that he has received since the defeat.
“I’ve grown into a sport where I expect to read things written about myself,”
“Whether it be the color of my skin, where I grew up or, most recently, how I decide to spend my time off the pitch I can take critique of my performance all day long, my penalty was not good enough, it should have gone in but I will never apologize for who I am and where I came from.”
Rashford wrote.
The youngster revealed that some of the messages of support he received left him “on the verge of tears”. He also expressed his disappointment at missing his spot-kick in the shootout but promised to return stronger.
His message against abusers was rallied by England captain Harry Kane, among others. Kane praised his teammates who stepped up for the penalty shootout while calling out those who left abuse – both racist and otherwise – on social media.
Joining Kane in responding to the abusers and the enablers were Jude Bellingham, Mason Mount, Reece James, while Tyrone Mings called out government officials for failing to deal with racism in the past. The players received widespread backing from the public – including former and current footballers – and several officials in their stand against racist abuse after the tournament.